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December 25, 2010 • 1:20 PM 1

ATMs dispensing cash are so passé


Last week, a mall in Florida debuted a new ATM machine.  Just swipe your credit card, and poof, out comes a 24-karat bar or coin.

Thomas Geissler, the inventor of the Gold to go machines says:

“Instead of buying flowers or chocolates, which is gone after two or three minutes, this will stay for the next few hundred years,” Geissler told the Associated Press. But he also envisions that the machine, which is making its North American debut at the upscale Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, will draw “serious investors” who don’t want to buy gold at pawnshops or over the Internet.

I’m wondering if there will be a security escort for customers?  The ATM vestibule was designed and created for a reason.  Just because the ATMs will be placed in upscale areas, doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily safer to purchase your gold bars and coins out in the open.

Well, not to take away from the excitement,  I recommend you keep this link handy, so that you can be best prepared when the GoldtoGo machines debut in your area.

Advertisement

Filed under: Business, Finance, , , , , , , , ,

December 23, 2010 • 6:13 PM 0

Advertising of the future, brought to you by BMW Germany


Forget print, banner/Internet or mobile advertising… BMW is taking the advertising to a whole new level.

BMW Germany is literally getting into consumers’ heads, by burning its logo onto the insides of their eyes.

I know, that sounds sort of freaky, but it’s actually quite ingenious.

Using pioneering new “flash projection” technology, BMW is testing a cinema spot in Germany that does not feature a visible logo. Instead, a bright photo flash occurs during the ad, and a few moments later the audience is asked to close its eyes.

At this point, the audience sees an after-image of the brand that has been created by the flash. The letters “BMW” appear before them, in the same way that you might see a bright spot if you had been looking at the sun and then closed your eyes.

Check out the spot in the YouTube video below.  Obviously, you won’t get the same effect, but you’ll learn how BMW Germany put the commercial together, and see real-time reactions of the audience.

Who knows, this may be a glimpse into the advertising of the future…

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Random, Tech, World, , , , , , ,

December 9, 2010 • 8:31 AM 0

Do not track me, at a click of a button


In response to the FTC’s call for regulation of tracking (by way of cookies), and in effort to cater to its users, Microsoft has announced that

IE9, set to debut sometime next year, will offer Tracking Protection Lists, a feature similar to current popup blockers, that can stop specified websites from tracking users’ online behavior through cookies or other methods.

Thank you Microsoft.  Looking forward to this feature.

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Social Media, Tech, , , , , , , , ,

December 8, 2010 • 8:19 PM 0

Product placement, Oprah style


Talk about awkward product placement…

In a lead-up to her Ultimate Australian Adventure, Oprah Winfrey last week aired Oprah’s Aussie Countdown, which featured a segment with a report by Australian TV personality Carrie Bickmore. Ms. Bickmore’s report, meant to educate the audience on Australian culture, sparked an upset when she said Australians like to spend time at “hip hangouts” called McDonald’s.

How’s that for a slap in the face?  I guess Harpo execs think that their target audience is a bit slow on the uptake.  Come on..really?  Hip hangouts called McDonald’s??

In shocking news..

A spokesman for Harpo confirmed that McDonald’s was a sponsor for the Aussie Countdown episode, along with Qantas (an audience member received a free trip for two to Australia), Motorola (audience members received free phones) and Tourism Australia, which is covering the ground costs of the visit (no money is going directly to Harpo).

Had the production team given this a little more thought, I’m completely convinced that they could have come up with a better way to incorporate McDonald’s into the show.

Filed under: Business, Food, Marketing, , , , , , , , , ,

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